The CIA has set up a group on Facebook.com. This group now has over 2000 members.
Cite: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/31/EDGVTNRS8O1.DTL
Why is this working at all?

Well, it's been decided. The US government is going to try Jose Padilla for "murder-conspiracy." This almost didn't happen--there was a question about whether this charge was "double jeopardy." (How did I miss the first case?) But an appeals court is letting the trial go forward, assuming that he's declared sane enough to have one, so it'll be harder for those of us on /. to use him as an example of government injustice. Especially if the government finds him guilty...
Trial starts in April if Padilla is declared sane.
Cite: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070130/ts_nm/usa_padilla_dc

The FTC is about to make a deal with Sony punishing Sony for the rootkits. This settlement is exactly like the Texas and California settlements--$150 a rootkit.
Cite: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6314443.stm
The settlement isn't final yet. There will be a 30-day public consultation. American citizens who read Slashdot might want to put in their two cents.

It is rumored that EMI is working to get music released on YouTube and MySpace. Yes, genuine RIAA music on YouTube and MySpace!
Who wants to see authorized EMI music videos on Youtube?
Now if only we knew which artists they had in mind...

From the article: "A European Parliament committee has approved a report which says EU states knew of secret CIA flights over Europe."
Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6290701.stm
More from the article:
"A BBC investigation last year revealed that a well-known CIA Gulfstream plane, the N379P, had made several landings at Szymany airport in northern Poland in 2003.
"The airport's flight log also showed that a Boeing 737 had flown direct from Kabul to the airport, which is not far from a Polish intelligence base in the village of Stare Kiejkuty."
Yikes!

It started with Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Now the movement to kill Apple's Fairplay DRM has come to France and Germany.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070122/ap_on_hi_te/europe_apple_itunes
From the article:
Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman Bjoern Erik Thon said French consumer lobby UFC-Que Choisir and its German counterpart, Ferbraucherzentralen, joined the effort late last year, and other European countries are considering it. Finland's Kulluttajavirasto consumer group is also part of the effort.
"This is important because Germany and France are European giants," Thon said. "Germany, in particular, is a big market for digital music."

Last May, President Bush asked the National Guard to support the Border Patrol. The National Guard is running the communications equipment and cameras so that the Border Control can concentrate on stopping illegal aliens.
On Jan. 3rd, four members of the Arizona National Guard saw four illegal aliens at the border, moved to a safe location, and called the Border Patrol. When the Border Patrol arrived with helicopters blazing, the illegal aliens ran back across the border.
Much of Arizona's government and public don't think the National Guard did enough.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0111thur1-11.html
So, what should the National Guard be doing, and what should the Border Patrol be doing?

Rumor has it that Apple Inc. will announce that it's releasing songs from Apple Records, specifically Beatles songs, in an ad during the Super Bowl. If true, then the Beatles songs may hit the iTunes Store on Valentine's Day.
http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/01/applebeatles_de.html
On the day after the Super Bowl, we should know if this rumor is true. Good thing the Super Bowl is almost here.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070119/pl_nm/security_negroponte_dc
"NSA has been vital in helping support the global war on terror," Negroponte said.
"In this regard, I would emphasize the critical contributions the terrorist surveillance program has made to protect American lives and interests."
Does anyone else find this slightly depressing?

The Senate interrogated Attorney General Alberto Gonzales over why the warrantless wiretapping program didn't end sooner. Gonzales did his best to avoid giving any answers. He also refused to tell the Senate any details of this just-discontinued (we hope) program because all those details are classified. Ouch! http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070118/pl_nm/surveillance_bush_dc

I watched a BBC-produced special on the Beatles' touring years last night. One aspect of it was spooky: there was film footage of the Fab Four in concert; I could even hear Beatles speak; but there was no Beatles music--only classical music. I got serious cognitive dissonance hearing classical music over Beatles concert footage.
I think I'll make an amendment to my copyright reform plans. Books and films should get 28 years with registration plus 28 with renewal. (No registration should mean public domain.) Music, being a more fragile medium, should only get 14+14.
(And software should get 7+7. At most.)

Hello, Slashdot readers.
I am making my first post in this journal because I've started a second blog over at Yahoo! I've used Yahoo! for email for about eight years now, and I've changed IRL addresses enough in years past that I don't want to change e-mail addresses again. Since anything at Yahoo! can gate into anything else there...
Yahoo! is pushy. I'm still mad at it for hiding the directory from its main page when they redesigned it a couple of years back because they wanted to keep its users in its system. I intend to keep their classic email as long as possible.
I'm wondering why Yahoo! installed a toolbar on a browser that I never use. I'm just surmising this, since I let Yahoo! install one and have not seen a trace of new toolbar on Firefox since. (I have IE7 but so far haven't used it.)
Don't think that Google's increasing dominance and relative "non-evil" is going to make Yahoo! surrender any time soon. Yahoo! has its own vs. of "extend, embrace."